Snow Joins Developer's Tampa Team Waterfront Plan Includes 2nd Church Street Station

April 18, 1985|By Tom Scherberger of The Sentinel Staff

TAMPA — Orlando's Bob Snow and Orlando-based Major Realty Corp. announced Wednesday that they have joined forces to build a $75 million office and entertainment complex on the waterfront in downtown Tampa.

The announcement by Snow, the company and Tampa Mayor Bob Martinez also marked the end of seven months of negotiations between the city and Major Realty that will result in construction of a $250 million convention and hotel complex adjacent to Major Realty's project.

Snow said he and Major Realty plan to build a duplicate of his Church Street Station in Orlando. Snow also plans to open a vaudeville-style showboat in Garrison Channel next to the complex.

Major Realty and its development partner, Prudential Insurance Company of America, also plan a 550,000-square-foot office building for the site. The company said a proposal for 10 acres that remain will be announced within two months.

The entire project, called Garrison Channel Place, will be located across the channel from the $1 billion Harbour Island, which is being built by Beneficial Corp.

Major Realty has owned the 13.34-acre tract at the foot of downtown Tampa since 1971. It did not announce plans to develop it until September 1984 when another development company, Mack Harborside, revealed its intention to use a portion of Major Realty's land to build the city-owned convention center.

At one point the city threatened to condemn the land so that its project could proceed. Major opposed the loss of the land -- about 3.2 acres -- for the convention center because it would have cut its project off from a people- mover connecting Harbour Island with downtown Tampa. Wednesday's announcement ended that dispute.

The $100 million convention center will be 600,000 square feet, three times the size of the city's existing facility. In addition, a 600-room hotel with retail and office space will be built next door.

Both the convention center and Major Realty's project hinge on expansion of the site by filling in part of Garrison Channel.

Snow said he thinks the entertainment complex will attract crowds like those at Orlando's Church Street Station, which he said draws 5,000 people a night. The Orlando complex of bars, shops and a restaurant is the state's fifth-largest tourist draw.